6 December 4-10, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | DECEMBER 3–7 SUITES OF DORCHESTER, MIAMI BEACH Aspinwall Editions Childs Gallery David Krut Arts Flying Horse Editions / UCF Graphicstudio / USF Gregg Shienbaum Fine Art Harlan & Weaver Island Press Jim Kempner Fine Art Kingsland Editions Kress Contemporary PS Marlowe Stoney Road Press, Ireland TAG Fine Arts, UK Tandem Press The Tolman Collection, Tokyo FREE ADMISSION SCAN TO REGISTER AT INKARTFAIR.COM WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE MIAMI BEACH VISITOR AND CONVENTION AUTHORITY miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | tis scoffed at being considered an Everglades villain, considering all the money he’d steered toward the River of Grass. “You’re talking about the guy who’s plowed how much money into Everglades restoration?” DeSantis said. That’s sort of like him saying, “I’ve spent a lot of money on a fancy car, so you should re- spect my automotive expertise — even though I’ve just dumped a bag of sugar in the gas tank.” Lawsuits are working their way through federal court to shut this camp down. I contacted one of the plaintiffs: Eve Sam- ples, executive director of Friends of the Ev- erglades, the organization co-founded by Marjory Stoneman Douglas. I asked her what she would ask the candidates to replace DeSantis. Her answer: “Will you commit to banning all harmful development from the Everglades that under- mines the billion-dollar restoration project?” That should cover not only the prison camp known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” she said, but also a rock mine being pushed by Big Sugar and various residential and commer- cial developments that have been steadily chomping away at the margins. “You can’t be an Everglades governor and allow development in the Everglades,” she said. Which leads to the next question. Developer-Santis DeSantis has never met a developer he didn’t like. He’s signed every bill they supported. He’s backed controversial developments so of- ten, I started calling him “Developer-Santis.” Did the developers want expensive toll roads to spread urban sprawl throughout ru- ral areas? Despite widespread objections, De- Santis said yes to that. Even when a project would make hurri- cane evacuation much worse, he didn’t sup- port saving the lives of Floridians. Instead, he voted to say yes to the developer. And if any local government failed to kow- tow to developers, he’s been eager to force them into compliance. The result of putting the developers in the driver’s seat is that growth is careening out of control, leaving our sewer systems over- loaded, our water systems running dry and our roads crowded and crumbling. Lots of Floridians are becoming fed up with this unwavering governmental support of sprawl-over-all. They want a change. That’s especially true in our remaining rural areas, where people like living at a slower pace. So, the next question I would ask the can- didates is: Will you stand up to developers and tell them no? Will you stick up for saving some parts of Florida as rural? Will you com- mit to keeping these slices of paradise the way they are? If they do it even once, that’s better than DeSantis. Last but not least, let’s talk about science. The Anti-Scientist While I was talking to Gelhardt of the Sierra Club, he told me, “Science should be in the forefront of any plan to protect Florida’s re- sources.” Who could argue with that? Our governor would. In the future, DeSan- tis will be remembered as the most virulently anti-science governor ever. During the pandemic, he became such a contrarian to the medical establishment that he actually scolded teenagers for wearing masks. He’s also appointed people who were anti- science, like an anti-vaxxer surgeon gen- eral. And consider his wildlife commissioners, who are so eager to shoot bears that they ignored that the science shows the bear population has declined. He was cool with signing a new law based on the thoroughly debunked conspir- acy theory about “chemtrails.” Meanwhile, even though signs of climate change are ob- vious everywhere in Florida, he approved legislation to re- move that term from most of state law. He had the full support of Speaker Renner on that one, by the way. Surprisingly, ignoring climate change does not make it go away. We will continue facing soaring temperatures and rising sea levels that affect everything from the intensity of hurricanes to the frequency of expensive beach renourishment. So, I think it’s fair to ask the candidates if they believe in following what science says about solutions. Or would they prefer Florida continue relying on folk tales, internet ru- mors, and ancient superstitions? I think we need to pin these guys down now. Otherwise, they’re liable to try to top DeSantis. Look for them to start building a fire circle in front of the Capitol, dancing around and chanting gibberish to placate the angry hurricane gods. Editor’s note: New Times occasionally shares articles from the Florida Phoenix, part of the nonprofit States Newsroom network. Contact the Florida Phoenix at info@florida- phoenix.com or follow the site on Face- book and X. [email protected] An American flag stands in the wake of Hurricane Ian at Fort Myers Beach. U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Jesse Hanson / Wikimedia Commons I THINK IT’S FAIR TO ASK THE CANDIDATES IF THEY BELIEVE IN FOLLOWING WHAT SCIENCE SAYS ABOUT SOLUTIONS. The Environment and the Ballot Box from p5
